Sandboarding
Encyclopedia
Boardsport
Boardsports are sports that are played with some sort of board as the primary equipment. These sports take place on a variety of terrain, from paved flat-ground and snow covered hills to water and air. Most boardsports are considered action sports or extreme sports, and thus often appeal to youth...
similar to snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
.
It is a recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
al activity that takes place on sand dunes rather than snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
-covered mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s.
This boardsport
Boardsport
Boardsports are sports that are played with some sort of board as the primary equipment. These sports take place on a variety of terrain, from paved flat-ground and snow covered hills to water and air. Most boardsports are considered action sports or extreme sports, and thus often appeal to youth...
has adherents throughout the world, most prevalently in desert areas or coastal areas with beach dunes.
It involves riding across or down a dune while standing with both feet strapped to a board, though some sandboarders use a board without bindings.
It is less popular than snowboard
Snowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
ing, partly because it is very difficult to build a mechanised ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
on a sand dune, and so participants generally must walk back up to the top. Alternatively, they may ride a dune buggy
Dune buggy
A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power-to-weight ratio by either lightening the...
or all-terrain vehicle
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
back to the top of the dune. Dunes are normally available year-round as opposed to ski resorts, which are usually seasonal. As well, the availability of sand dunes confines participants to warmer areas.
Josh Tenge
Josh Tenge
Josh Tenge is a professional sandboarder who has won four world championships and five national titles.Tenge has set three Guinness World Records, including one for the longest backflip by distance at 44 feet, 10 inches. The record was set on 20 May 2000 in Xwest Huck Fest, Nevada.-External...
, professional sandboarding champion, holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for the longest-distance back flip at 44' 10". Tenge is also a four-time world sandboarding champion and holds three world records.
Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
is the centre of sand-skiing, which is similar to sandboarding; however, it is performed with skis instead of a board.
Equipment
The sandboard base is much harder than a snowboard, and is built mostly out of formicaFormica (plastic)
Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation now based in Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, a division of the New Zealand company Fletcher Building. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or...
or laminex with special base materials now being made for this sport. To glide in the sand, the board bottom is often wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
ed, usually with a paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
-based sandboard wax, before a run. Afterwards, the bottom of the board may have a lightly sanded look to it, while 'Race Base' tends to polish smoother and glossier with use. Most terrain sandboards are composed of hardwood ply, while 'full-size' sandboards are a wood, fiber glass, and plastic composite. However, a snowboarding base will sometimes work on steeper dunes. Erik Johnson, a professional snowboarder and sandboarder, holds the Guinness World Record for Speed on a Sandboard at 51 mi/h. Unofficial speeds of 60 mi/h have reportedly been clocked.
Sandboarding in Australia
Little Sahara on Kangaroo IslandKangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, South Australia, is a heritage area, with a sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres. The dunes vary in size with plenty of small dunes and the highest dune is approximately 70 metres above sea level.
Lucky Bay
Lucky Bay
Lucky Bay is a bay located at on the south coast of Western Australia.It received its name from Matthew Flinders, who discovered it in January 1802. Flinders had sailed into the hazardous Archipelago of the Recherche, and found his ship surrounded by islands and rocks with nightfall coming on:...
, about 30 km south of Kalbarri, in Western Australia, is another sandboarding hotspot. Sandboarding Tours are offered in the area.
The Stockton dunes, 2.3 hours north from Sydney. Stockton Bight Sand Dunes system is up to one kilometre wide, 32 kilometres long, and covers an area of over 4,200 hectares. The massive sand dunes climb up to 40 metres high. Located only minutes from the centre of Nelson Bay, it is the largest sand dune system in Australia.
Sandboarding in Egypt
The best sand dunes for sandboarding in Egypt include the Great Sand Sea near Siwa Oasis واحة سيوة in Egypt's Western Desert, the Qattaniya القطانية sand dunes (1.5 hr drive on/off-road from Cairo to Bahariya Oasis), El Safra الصفراء and Hadudah هدودة dunes midway between Dahab and St. Catherine in Sinai. Sandboarding is said to be originated in Egypt in the time of the Pharoahs where they slid down dunes on pieces of wood.Sandboarding in Namibia
Most of the sand-skiing in NamibiaNamibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
is performed in the Namib desert dunes around Swakopmund
Swakopmund
Swakopmund is a city on the coast of northwestern Namibia, west of Windhoek, Namibia's capital. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. As a seaside resort, the weather is cooler here in December to January so the territorial administration moves to Swakopmund for these months...
and Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
, however, with a special permit it is sometimes possible to sand-ski at the world's highest dunes in Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia...
.
Henrik May, a German living in Namibia for some ten years, set a Guinness World Record in speed sand-skiing on 6 June 2010. He reached a speed of 92.12 km/h
Sandboarding in South Africa
Sandboarding in the U.S.
Sand Master Park, located in Florence, Oregon
Florence, Oregon
Florence is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,466.-History:The Florence area was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. Some state that the city was named for state senator A. B...
USA is the world's first sandboard park with 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of private sculpted sand dunes and a full-time pro shop. Sand Master Park was opened in the year 2000 by sandboard pioneer, Lon Beale, and introduces sandboarding to about 25,000 people each year. Dune Riders International is the governing body for competitive sandboarding world wide and sanctions three events each season at Sand Master Park.
Locations
AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
- Kobuk Sand Dunes - Kobuk Valley National Park - Ambler Artic County
Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
- Ehrenberg Sandbowl - Ehrenberg
- Hot Well Dunes - Safford
- Parker Sand Dunes - Parker
- Yuma Sand Dunes - Yuma
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- Buttercup - Glamis - ( South of Glamis, past Gordon's Well (freeway hill), across Hwy.8, smaller dunes and less people.)
- Carmel Beach - Carmel - ( Small dune but beautiful location. the sand is so good that the boards run on gentle slopes.)
- Death Valley National Park - Stovepipe Wells - ( Small Dunes. No offroad. )
- Dillon Beach - Bodega Bay - ( Good run located in an RV park" )
- Dumont Dunes - Baker - ( 455 ft (138.7 m). Home of the "World Back Flip Record" )
- Gordon's Well - Glamis
- Guadalupe Dunes - Guadalupe
- Ibex Dunes - Saratoga Springs
- Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area - Glamis
- Indian Rocks - Lake Los Angeles - ( private dune bank for films )
- Kelso Sand Dunes - Baker - ( 600 ft (182.9 m). - no offroad - pink feldspar )
- Marina State Beach Marina - ( very limited area but extreme runs! )
- Montana de Oro State Park - Los Osos - ( now closed to sandboarding )
- Fort Ord - Seaside - ( small dunes, 40–50 ft.)
- White Water - Palm Springs
- Manilla Dunes - Grassland Community - Arcata/Eureka ( Very small - no offroad )
- Panamint Dunes - Panamint Valley
- Pismo Beach Dunes - Pismo Beach / San Luis Obispo
- Point Mugu Sand Bank - Pacific Coast Hwy. - Pt. Mugu
- Pudding Creek - Fort Bragg ( small dune at the creek's mouth & the Pacific Ocean + parking )
- Rice Valley Dunes - Death Valley
- Saline Valley Dunes - Death Valley
- Salmon Creek - Bodega Bay ( small coastal dune on Sonoma State Beach )
- Ten Mile Beach Dunes - Cleone ( small to medium size with nice sand )
- The Pit - Sand City ( Easy access - huge bowl right on the beach. )
- Superstition OHV Park - El Centro - (The Sand Dam / 409. Steep runs and jumps.)
- Tomales Bay
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- Great Sand Dunes National Park - San Luis Valley, Colorado (tallest sand dunes in North America)
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
- Jockey's Ridge State Park - Nags Head North Carolina
Sandboarding in South America
- PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
is known for having large sand dunes in IcaIca ProvinceThe Ica Province is the largest of five provinces of the Ica Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Ica.Huacachina is a small town, oasis and resort in this region.-Political division:...
, some reaching up to 2 km. Duna Grande in Ica is the largest sand dune in the world.
The Copa Sandboarding Perú (Peru Sandboarding Cup) is held near Paracas every year since 2009.
- ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
sandboarding is practiced in Medanoso dune in Copiapo City, in this place it's done the Dakar rally. Puerto Viejo beach in Caldera is an excellent place to practice sandboarding in front of the bay.
Sandboarding in Central America
- NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
is home to Cerro NegroCerro NegroCerro Negro is a volcano in the Cordillera de los Maribios mountain range in Nicaragua, about 10 km from the village of Malpaisillo. It is a very new volcano, the youngest in Central America, having first appeared in April 1850...
, the youngest volcano in Central America. Since it has steep slopes and volcanic sand, it is possible to sandboard down this active volcano.
Sandboarding in Europe
A rather small sand mountain is the Monte KaolinoMonte Kaolino
Monte Kaolino is a sand dune in Hirschau, Germany in Bavaria region. It consists of 35 million tonnes of sand, a by-product of kaolinite production over the years...
in Hirschau
Hirschau
Hirschau is a municipality in the Upper Palatinate district of Bavaria and in the county of Amberg-Sulzbach.- Location :Hirschau lies directly on the German Federal Highway 14 and ca. 20 km east of the Autobahn 6 ,and ca. 15 km west of the Autobahn 93...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Being equipped with a lift to the 120m top it is also the host of the annual Sandboarding World Championships.
Events
- Sandboarding World Championship – The SWC is held annually in Hirschau, Germany at Monte Kaolino, currently also the site of Europe’s largest sand hill. Riders can board down dunes over 300 feet (91.4 m) tall, riding into a water landing site at the base of the hill. It has a sand lift, the only one in the world. Events include slalom (akin to snowboarding's parallel giant slalom), freestyle (similar to freestyle snowboarding) and sandboard cross (cf. snowboard cross).
- Sand Master Jam – Annual sandboarding event that takes place in Florence, OregonFlorence, OregonFlorence is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,466.-History:The Florence area was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. Some state that the city was named for state senator A. B...
at Sand Master Park. This event occurs in late spring or early summer. The Sand Master Jam has been held since 1996.
- Pan-American Sandboarding Challenge – This event takes place in July in Aquiraz, Ceara, Brazil at Prainha’s Beach. It features amateurs and professionals who wish to compete in freestyle and jump events.
- Sand Sports Super Show – Annual outdoor event for all sand sports, including sandboarding. This three-day event takes place in September in Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
at the Orange County Fair and Expo Center.